Talking Pyramids: Ancient Egyptian Pyramids

Following on from Thursday’s post I’d like to focus a bit more on the Pyramid Texts found in Queen Behenu’s recently discovered burial chamber.

Offering texts on the north wall of the Unas sarcophagus chamber. Photo by Helmut Satzinger.

I’ve been investigating the particular way in which the Pyramid Texts are arranged in Behenu’s pyramid. Confining the analysis to just the one section of the north wall of Behenu’s sarcophagus chamber I began translating the middle section as it is the easiest to see.

As I mentioned in the previous post, the name ‘Behenu’ is the first word that is recognised. She has the title “Osiris Behenu”. Observe that Behenu’s name is not enclosed in a cartouche. This is because Behenu is a Queen. But she still takes the title of Osiris in death as all Kings do.

One phrase is repeated several times:

This is then followed by a particular offering that can be seen in smaller closed boxes at the bottom of columns. These include items such as bread, beer, geese, ox, fruit, vegetables, water, etc. This format is recognisable as the Offering Ritual which is found on the north walls of those pyramids inscribed with the Pyramid Texts.

So the next step was to compare the Behenu texts with the arrangement of the Unas texts.

There are some slight variations in spelling and the sections are arranged differently but Behenu’s texts are very nearly identical to those of Unas.

Although Behenu has the familiar three horizontal sections (registers) that is expected on the north wall of a pyramid inscribed with Pyramid Texts, the arrangement of the texts is slightly rearranged. Once again, comparing with the Unas layout. Here are the two compared:

Corresponding section on the north wall of Unas

Here is the translation of Behenu’s text based on James Allen’s translation of the Unas texts. It begins with the texts from the ‘Preparation of the Offering Table’:

First Register (A):

…
[First four columns missing or badly damaged]
…

Utterance 82 (W55)
Thoth, get him with it.
He has come forth to him with Horus’s eye. – The Offering Table

Utterance 83 (W56)
Give him Horus’s eye, that he may become content with it. – Come with the King’s offering

Utterance 84 (W57)
Osiris Behenu, accept Horus’s eye, with which he became content. – The King’s offering, twice

Utterance 85 (W58)
Osiris Behenu, accept Horus’s eye and be content with it. – [Offering damaged]

Utterance 86 (W59)
Cause it to revert to you. Sit down, Be silent: the King’s invocation – [Offering damaged]

Utterance 87 (W60)
Osiris Behenu, accept Horus’s eye, ….

…
[Remaining columns missing or badly damaged]
…

Second Register (B):

…
[Missing the top half of the first four columns]
…

Utterance 166 (W128)
[Osiris Behenu, accept Horus's eye,] which they have licked. – Two bowls of sidder-fruit

Utterance 167 (W129)
[Osiris Behenu, open your eyes ] and see with them! – Two bowls of sidder-bread

Utterance 168 (W130)
[Osiris Behenu, accept Horus's eye:] prevent him from netting it – Two bowls of carob beans

Utterance 169 (W131)
[Osiris Behenu, accept Horus's sweet eye,] return it to yourself – Two bowls of every kind of sweet stalk

Utterance 170 (W132)
Osiris Behenu, accept Horus’s eye: allot it to yourself. – A bowl of every kind of young plant

Utterance 171 (W133)
Osiris Behenu, may what you have endure for you with you. – Dedicating the Offering

Second Register (C):

Utterance 108 (W70)
Osiris Behenu, gather to yourself the water that is in it. – 
Two bowls of water

Utterance 109 (W71)
Osiris Behenu, accept Horus’s eye, which cleaned his mouth – Two bowls of cleansing natron

Utterance 110 (W72)
Osiris Behenu, accept Horus’s eye; gather it to your mouth – The “Mouth-washing” (meal): one loaf of bread, one jug (of beer)

Utterance 111 (W73)
Osiris Behenu, accept Horus’s eye, which Seth trampled. – Two loaves of “trampled” bread

Utterance 112 (W74)
Osiris Behenu, accept Horus’s eye, which he pulled out. – One bowl of “pulled” bread

Utterance 113 (W75)
Osiris Behenu……

…
[Remaining columns missing or badly damaged]
…

Another section of the Pyramid Texts seems to be waiting to be deciphered on the peice of wall beside the sarcophagus…

More Pyramid Texts beside Behenu's sarcophgus

Sources:
Pyramid Texts Online
The Ancient Egyptian Pyramid Texts (Writings from the Ancient World), By Peter Der Manuelian (Editor) James P. Allen (Editor)
Photo of the Unas north wall by Helmut Satzinger.
Photo of the Behenu walls from the SCA.

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Tags: language, pyramid texts, Unas

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